Study of 1.3 Million Americans Reveals Dangerous Cholesterol Guessing Game

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cil Frazier thought she was the picture of
good health. The Birmingham resident said she exercises, is not overweight, and
goes in every year for a physical. "For decades, I have been told that I have
cholesterol levels to be envied," said Frazier, the marketing director at NBC13
WVTM-TV. "But the cholesterol test came back and I got a call and they said,
'Get in. Your levels are way off, and you're at risk.'"

Frazier's physician used the VAP(R) (Vertical Auto Profile) Lipid Panel, a
cardiovascular risk technology that takes cholesterol testing to the next level.
In addition to revealing a more accurate picture of her heart health, she also
found that she has an elevated genetic marker for heart disease and informed her
siblings, telling them to ask their physician for a VAP.

Frazier is like millions of patients whose doctors and health care providers are
choosing comprehensive lipid assessments for a more accurate picture of
cardiovascular risk. The VAP Lipid Panel digs much deeper than the commonly used
cholesterol test and tells you exactly what is going on with your heart health.

A clinical study published in today's print edition of the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology (JACC) discovered that the basic lipid panel is
often inaccurate. Based on the Friedewald equation and a medical technology that
has been used for more than 40 years to estimate LDL cholesterol, the basic
lipid panel "had it wrong," said Seth Martin, M.D., the lead author of the
study.

In the JACC study, Johns Hopkins University researchers compared the VAP lipid
profiles of more than 1.3 million American adults with those same samples using
the basic lipid panel's Friedewald equation. Researchers discovered that
Friedewald consistently underestimates LDL -- misclassifying up to 60 percent of
patients with triglycerides over 200 -- which could result in undertreatment of
many patients, especially those who are at the highest risk.

"In nearly one out of four samples in the desirable range for people with a
higher heart disease risk, the Friedewald equation had it wrong," said Martin, a
clinical fellow at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of
Heart Disease. "As a result, many patients may think they achieved their LDL
cholesterol target of less than 70 when, in fact, they may need more aggressive
treatment to reduce their risk."

The VAP lipid profiles came from Atherotech Diagnostics Lab in Birmingham, Ala.
The researchers collaborated with Atherotech to develop the massive database for
the study. The database is registered on the website www.clinicaltrials.gov and
will be an important resource for ongoing scientific investigation.

More than 8 million VAP Lipid Panels have been administered in America. Because
LDL is directly measured with this patented lipid profile, fasting is not
required of the patient. For a better understanding of potential cholesterol
dangers, patients are encouraged to ask their health care provider for a
comprehensive lipid profile, such as the VAP Lipid Panel.

The VAP Lipid Panel is covered by most insurance plans and is widely available
to patients and their clinicians in the U.S. For information on the VAP Lipid
Panel and Atherotech Diagnostics Lab, visit www.Atherotech.com or call
877-901-8510. Health care professionals interested in real patient cases and
lipidology commentary may visit www.CobblesCorner.com, Atherotech's official
blog. Atherotech is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Atherotech, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/Atherotech, and broadcasting at
www.YouTube.com/user/VAPatherotech.

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